Rakshan Bandhan - An Eternal Bond of Love Shared by Brother and Sister

History of Rakshabandhan

The meaning of “rakshabandhan” is the union of defense. There are many stories behind this festival. From the origin of India there are some histories.First one belongs to the God of rain, Indra dev, once there was a war between Gods and Demons where Indra dev was defeated and the Indra consulted his guru Brahaspati. The wife of Indra tied the sacred thread which was originated from various chanting and mantras. Then the Gods defeated demons and had a victory. Another one was of Lord Krishna and Draupadi. When Krishna was having a wound because of the battle he fought Draupadi torn a strip of her silk dupatta and tied around the hand of Krishna. He was touched by her action and declared her sister without any blood relation. He promised her to take care and protect her from all the odds in her life. Being the daughter of such a great king and wife of five exceptional warriors she was totally dependent on Lord Krishna. The story of Yama and Yamuna, Yama (the lord of Death) was brother of Yamuna and on this special occasion he was so touched by this ritual of tying rakhi, that he affirmed that whosoever gets a rakhi tied by his sister and promise her to protect will become immortal.

Celebration of Rakhi

The raksha bandhan is celebrated as one of the festivals in India and also in some parts of Pakistan and Nepal. Not only the Hindus but also the Sikhs and Jains celebrate this festival. The festival is celebrated by tying the rakhi from the sisters (shreya) to their brothers (shaurya) on this occasion after doing their puja known as arati. This ritual is performed by almost in 90% of India. The people also first tie the rakhi to Ganesha and then to their real brothers as well as cousins. The home is also decorated with flowers and the environment becomes festive. The sweets are also one of the important parts of this festival. After tying the rakhi the sister makes the brother eat the sweets.

Specialty of Rakhi

The rakhi is not only a holy thread but also known as the thread of love that love which bonds the brother to his sister. The specialty of rakhi is that the brother promises his sister to take care of her in any condition and protect her in each and every possible way he can. This defines a relationship of brother and sister and bonding between them. It’s not only about tying a rakhi but also accepting one’s responsibility with full dedication and making them work. Now a day the importance of rakhi had been increased because of the nuclear families where only 2 brothers or sisters are there it bounds the family as the sisters revolve around to tie rakhi to their cousins or the get together is organized by family. It not only works as refreshment but also allow the people to meet and interact with their dear and near ones.